By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The definition of a masterclass is a high-quality learning experience jam-packed with in-depth knowledge. The focus is on advanced concepts. That’s Brownstown basketball. Pay attention, take notes.
The phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” refers to someone who dabbles in many skills but fails to become an expert in any of them. What do you call a team that masters all the trades of the game? Start with champion, because the Braves won last year’s Class 2A state title. Try undefeated, because Brownstown has yet to be conquered. And if their current pace can be maintained, the Braves might win another title.
Bedford North Lawrence cannot dispute that. The Stars were the pupils, the Braves were the professors during an impressive triumph on Friday night.
Brownstown, ranked No.1 in Class 3A, proved its worth during a 77-44 victory over the Stars. Colby Hall scored 25 points as the Braves (18-0) extended their state-best winning streak to 37 consecutive games, dating back to the end of their run to last’s year championship. That team featured an Indiana All-Star and Purdue recruit. This team lacks that top-level star power but might be just as good.
Consider Brownstown’s last three games, wins over Columbus East, Jennings County and BNL by an average of 32.3 points. That’s incredible. If the Braves finish sweeping all the Hoosier Hills Conference teams, perhaps they should be awarded that league title by default. If they do, they’ll earn it because the last three are on the road.
This one was no problem. Brownstown raced to a 21-4 lead, cruised to a 43-21 advantage at halftime, and triggered the running clock for the final 1:33 to punctuate a dominating, mercy-rule win.
This was a clinic in all phases. Shooting: the Braves hit 14 treys and shot 57 percent. Ball movement: they had 25 assists on their 29 baskets. Turnovers: they were guilty of only three until the deep-end reserves played out the final 3:45. Rebounds: they won that stat 30-21. Defense: BNL’s main weapons, with the top three scorers combining for 41 points per game, were held to half that.
It’s no wonder the Braves are winning by an average of 25 points.
Brownstown coach Dave Benter, who’s bearing down on 500 career wins (this was 495), has taught some great teams during his 27 seasons. This one could be one of his best. Time and a state tournament will bear that out. But it’s going to take something special to end their current run.
“Last year, we were so good defensively,” Benter said. “We’ve gotten so much better there this year. You can’t compare the teams, because they’re different, but we’ve played really well the last three games. We’ve got more guys that are capable of doing stuff this year. We have a lot of weapons, any time we take care of the ball, rebound and move the ball.
“We have to continue to play selflessly. You have to win on nights when you don’t shoot the ball well, and to do that you have to defend, not turn the ball over and win the rebounding battle. The last three games, we’ve done those things – plus we’ve shot it well.”
This was not one of those nights. Hall stepped outside to drill five treys – a little unfair for a 6-6 post to do that – while Lane Pendleton added 22 points.
Hall ignited the early breakaway with three bombs in a row, and Chace Coomer turned a steal into a layup to cap a 21-2 run. The lead never shrank.
“It’s not that I thought we played bad,” BNL coach Kurt Godlevske said. “We made some mistakes here and there. It’s just that they have so much depth, so many kids that can shoot the basketball, and they’re smart players. They just don’t get sped up.
“Their kids just make plays for each other and play together so well. They give great effort on every play, every possession.”
Dax Short paced BNL (8-9) with 12 points while Patric Matson added 12. The Stars have failed to reach 45 points in four of the last six outings.
“You have to run Matson and (Quincy) Pickett off the 3-point line,” Benter said of the Brownstown approach, and they were a combined 2 of 9 from deep. “Short had a big night and made us pay a couple of times. The good thing is we have size inside that can guard their bigger guys. Colby is one of the best rim protectors around. So that allows us to be more aggressive.”
BNL, which has now lost four in a row, will return to action against New Albany on Feb. 21.
BROWNSTOWN BRAVES (77)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
34 Colby Hall, f 5-6 9-12 2-2 4 0 25
33 Chace Coomer, f 1-5 6-11 0-0 2 1 13
22 Pierson Wheeler, g 0-1 0-1 0-0 2 2 0
32 Lane Pendleton, g 4-9 8-16 2-3 6 0 22
24 Micah Shaffer, g 2-3 2-5 0-0 8 2 6
22 Carter Covert 1-2 2-3 0-1 2 2 5
23 Gregory Hutcheson 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 2 0
20 Brock Dean 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
44 Eli Hutchinson 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
5 Linkan Britain 1-1 1-1 0-0 1 0 3
10 Kylis Brock 0-0 1-1 1-1 1 0 3
Totals 14-27 29-51 5-7 30 9 77
BEDFORD NL STARS (44)
3s FGs FTs R F Pts
5 Dax Short, f 2-3 3-9 4-4 3 2 12
22 Isaiah Sasser, f 0-0 3-6 0-0 1 1 6
31 Logan Miracle, c 0-0 2-3 1-1 4 3 5
10 Patric Matson, g 2-4 5-10 0-0 3 0 12
3 Quincy Pickett, g 0-5 1-7 2-2 2 1 4
12 Jacob Ritter 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 0 3
24 Gibson Crane 0-0 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
4 Parker Kern 0-2 0-2 0-0 1 2 0
15 Jaden Gilbert 0-0 0-2 0-0 2 0 0
23 Tyler Stigall 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
14 Jace Nicholson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
11 Colton Taylor 0-0 1-1 0-0 0 0 2
Totals 5-16 16-44 7-7 21 10 44
Brownstown 21 22 19 15 – 77
Bedford NL 7 14 13 10 – 44
Turnovers – Brownstown 7, BNL 13
Field goal percentage – Brownstown 29-51 (.569); BNL 16-44 (.364)
Free throw percentage – Brownstown 5-7 (.714); BNL 7-7 (1.000)
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